Posted with permission of the author but without permission from the publisher
Sheridan and Reid are part of a growing number of folk musicians who have plugged into the Information Highway for personal and professional reasons. Many managers and booking agents have also started conducting business in cyberspace and are reaping the benefits of the international exposure they can give their clients.
Where it's all happening is the Internet, the world's largest group of interconnected computers. This vast network links more than 18,000 computer networks and bulletin board systems worldwide. Millions of people have access to the Internet, and its use is estimated to be growing by 1,000 computers per day. It's an impressive and efficient way to reach any type of audience.
Mark Lourie of Skyline Music in Portland plugged into the Internet six months ago. As manager of The Boneheads and booking agent for Tom Rush, Cliff Eberhardt and Jesse Colin Young, he had heard that folk music was being discussed by a sizable group of people using their computers and modems. When he found the Internet Folk_Music electronic mailing list, he knew he'd come to the right place.
"The Folk_Music list has been helpful to us," Lourie affirms. "So far, I have posted our artists' itineraries and an introduction to The Boneheads. I have also exchanged e-mail with several active contributors to the list, and that has definitely led to new leads for gigs, and confirmed a date or two. It seems particularly good for finding the more obscure (but not necessarily lesser) venues and gig opportunities."
Each "issue" of the Folk_Music digest (e-mailed on roughly a daily basis) includes anywhere from two to twenty messages "posted" (typed in) by subscribers and screened by Alan. Some of the messages are reviews of recent concerts or albums; others are questions about how to find obscure releases or song lyrics. Often there are tour itineraries posted by booking agents or managers, CD release announcements, folk festival plans, and other news. Occasionally, there will even be messages posted from subscribing performers like Bob Franke, Christine Lavin, and Cosy Sheridan.
"The Folk_Music digest is a great way to build a community, and a great way to reach an audience," says Sheridan. She has received favorable on-line reviews, gained many new fans, and even performed in special "Internet Quartet" concerts. Still, she observes, performers have to view the list with a grain of salt when critical discussions get going. "You have to remind yourself that the information highway is, sometimes, just Opinion Road."
Harvey Reid agrees with this assessment. "I'm not always sure of the quality of what's being discussed," he notes, "but it's a fabulous means of communication. Theoretically, if enough people actually read the list, it's going to eventually level the playing field and be a wonderful way for people like me to make recordings more widely available."
Reid currently takes orders for his albums via e-mail, averaging several requests per week, and would like to find new ways to get more information out to music lovers. "I'd like to be able to post lyrics to songs, answer technical questions about playing, publish articles I've written, etc."
Boston-based singer-songwriter Barbara Kessler, who opened for the Indigo Girls at UNH last April, is one of the area's first performers with a comprehensive WWW page. It includes her biography and color picture, upcoming tour dates, and information on her debut CD, Stranger To This Land. Users can even listen to sound-bites from the CD using their computer sound capabilities!
Kessler's manager, Phil Antoniades, is an ardent Internet booster. "People really help out and support folk music through this medium," he enthuses. "I've promoted Barbara's CD on the Internet and it has helped get fans out to the stores to purchase copies. I've also used the Net to inform folk DJs about the new release, and DJs have used the Net to get in touch with me to get the CD for airplay. I've put out pleas for information on venues in areas I have no experience with and the response prompted quality tours of the West Coast."
Atlanta-based acoustic band Millan & Kenzie has utilized similar Internet resources to book gigs as far north as Boston. "To be able to go to a town where you've never been and have ten enthusiastic people come to hear you because of the Net makes a big impression on club owners," explains Chris McMahon, the band's bass player and Internet guru. "And if a number of them buy your record, that's sometimes the difference between a profit and a loss on a particular show. To sell 20 albums 4,000 miles away from home makes a big impression on distributors and radio people, too."
Mark Lourie in Portland is looking forward to the new format. "As an agent, my best use [of the list] is to post dates and find venues," he notes.
In the meantime, music professionals and plain old fans alike can surf the information highway for the latest folk news and views. There are always new discussion groups, mailing lists, and information sites under construction, so acoustic aficionados can plug in for a music fix anytime.